Empire of the Sun
by angel.yang92
Summary: Set some years prior to the story of K, 15-year-old Hazuki Endo suddenly finds herself becoming acquainted with some very strange individuals who call themselves 'Homra' when she unwittingly saves the life of a boy named Tatara Totsuka. A Mikoto x OC fic
1. Chapter 1

_Full Summary: _Set some years prior to the story of K, 15-year-old Hazuki Endo suddenly finds herself becoming acquainted with some very strange individuals who call themselves 'Homra' when she unwittingly saves the life of a boy named Tatara Totsuka. A Mikoto x OC fic

_Chapter I_

_A Life of Danger is Not For Everyone_

_Rule #1: Stay away from delinquents and/or troublemakers. _

That was one of the many rules set by her mother and it had been, for a time, a rather reasonable one. After all, not very many people would willingly seek the company of delinquents and/or people of similar circumstances. Unless of course you yourself were a delinquent, then by all means go ahead.

However, fifteen-year-old Hazuki Endo was quite possibly the furthest thing from a delinquent.

Up until now, she had just been another high school freshman enjoying a rather ordinary (and admittedly boring) life. But she'd rather have her boring life then a life of danger. She didn't do well with danger and she wasn't exactly the most athletic type nor was she all that brave either.

She was the type of girl to hang out with her friends after school at crepe cafes or little clothing/accessory shops. The type of girl who'd stay in her room when not with her friends and read manga all day, that was what Hazuki _had _been.

Till now….

All Hazuki could really remembered of that particular incident was how scared she felt. Really, really scared. It was the 'shit your pants because you're so scared' kind yet it was oddly euphoric. Of course, the latter may be just the result of adrenaline kicking in but whatever.

It had been a sunny day, no clouds and maybe a little wind. Hazuki was on her way to school and like usual, she had stopped by the local convenience store to pick up some breakfast. She had enough time since she was an early riser and as such wasn't in much of a hurry. That was where she went wrong.

It had all happened so fast, Hazuki might have missed it if she hadn't been paying attention. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a flicker of movement, followed by some shouting that sounded anything but happy.

_A fight? _She thought and was quick to find the source of all the commotion. It was only a glimpse she had caught but it was enough to know that it was an unfair fight.

Three against one and the odds of that one winning were slim to none. It didn't help that the four aggressors were older and bigger looking, as opposed to the guy getting ganged up on who was slim in build and about Hazuki's age.

She recognized the uniform of the boy as being from the school opposite of hers, a popular school amongst her peers. Hazuki pressed her back against the wall she was hiding behind and contemplated her choices. She could always leave and find help elsewhere, that was the most logical option. However, what if she left and the boy was hurt while she was gone?

_Rule #2: Avoid Any Unnecessary Fighting or Fights Altogether. _

"This would be considered…necessary, right?" Hazuki mumbled, though her chances at winning a fight one-to-one were slim at best, three-to-one would be suicidal. She never even hit a person before, let alone get into a full on fight!

"Oh great, now they're hitting him." Hazuki watched in silent horror as one of the older boys pushed the younger one onto the ground and another kick him while he was down. Hazuki was too far to hear the details of what they were saying, but did catch a few words here and there.

Apparently, they were looking for a person called 'Suoh', whoever _that _was.

"What am I supposed to do?" Hazuki half-whispered as she turned away from the scene, her heart growing heavier the longer she stood there. She didn't know why but she couldn't bring herself to abandon the boy. Despite his situation he was smiling, as if trying to pacify or reason with his attackers.

When Hazuki looked around the corner once more, she saw one of the boys reach into his back pocket and pull out a small knife. Her stomach sunk low and it was as if something had snapped in the back of her mind the minute her eyes fell on the blade.

Before she knew it, Hazuki was running. Not away from the fight but _towards_ it. Her heart was racing a mile a minute and the little voice inside her head screamed for her to stop; yet she plowed on.

She didn't even remember picking up the garbage can nor where it even came from, but she threw it anyway with every ounce of strength she had in her tiny body. She wasn't particularly strong so she was a little surprised to see it collide with the attackers with as much force as it had.

Bewilderment seemed to grip everyone involved immediately, Hazuki included. It's not everyday you expect to be ambushed by a pigtailed schoolgirl with a sailor uniform with a trashcan. Apparently, they hadn't even noticed her until the thing had rammed into them, knocking two of the aggressors off their feet.

Confusion, surprise and fear mixed together and Hazuki reached out and grabbed the boy off the ground and ran. She ran as fast as her little feet could carry her, faster then she had ever ran before.

Maybe it was the adrenaline kicking in but she felt oddly energetic during the whole thing. She and the boy turned a corner, the three older boys not far behind shouting obscenities and threats Hazuki had only heard on television.

"Turn here!" said the boy behind her who, for a moment, Hazuki had forgotten he was even there. Which was stupid considering he was the whole reason why she was even involved in the first place.

The two teens hid behind a dumpster in an alley as Hazuki watched the three older boys run past them, dirty and a little worse for wear. She _really _hadn't thrown that thing hard enough; they didn't even look remotely injured! When they were sure the three attackers were gone, Hazuki let out a heavy sigh of relief and without warning, felt her legs give out from underneath her.

All the energy in her seemed to have disappeared in that moment and she felt her body go weak. It was only then did Hazuki realize just how frightened she had been.

"Are you all right? Thanks for saving me back there," said the boy beside her as he knelt down to look at her.

It was around then did Hazuki truly take in the appearance of the boy she unwittingly saved. She had expected him to look a little like his attackers, rough and mean looking. Yet instead she found herself staring at a boy with honey-colored hair and hazel eyes. He had a rather fair complexion and soft features for a boy despite the fresh bruising on his face.

"O-Oh, it was nothing," replied Hazuki in between breaths.

It was only a mile or so but she felt like she had just ran a marathon. She couldn't believe how hard she was panting nor how quickly her heart was beating. For a while neither of the two spoke as they tried to catch their breath and recompose themselves. When Hazuki finally decided she was calm enough to resume talking, the boy beside her beat her to it.

"By the way, what made you decide to help me?" the boy asked, causing Hazuki to nearly choke on her saliva. She hadn't expected him to ask her _that. _"I saw you hiding behind the corner and I was sure you were going to just leave but you didn't. How come?"

His tone of voice made it seem as if he weren't judging her nor was he angry, something which surprised Hazuki. She had expected him to be a little angry at her for even contemplating of leaving him behind. Anyone else in his situation would.

"Honestly? I don't really know myself," Hazuki said, staring down at her hands. She really didn't know. It would have made sense for her to run away. So why didn't she?

"I just…sort of jumped in without thinking," Hazuki stated, more so to herself than to the boy.

The boy said nothing as he stared down her with kind eyes and a smile on his gentle, bruised face. Hazuki had a hard time believing that someone like him was being involved with people like _that_. What in the world did he do to cause that much of a thrashing?

"Why were those guys beating you up? Were they mugging you?" Hazuki asked before she could stop herself.

"Hm? Oh they were looking for a friend of mine," the boy replied with a shrug. Hazuki immediately thought of the person named 'Suoh' and wondered if that was the one those boys were looking for.

"Did your friend piss them off or something?"

The boy fell silent and merely smiled at her, as if waiting for her to realize what she was getting herself into. Hazuki knew then that the more questions she asked the more involved she would be. And she _really _didn't want to be involved any more than she already was.

"You want to know?" the boy finally asked.

Hazuki gulped nervously and shook her head slowly. "No, I'd rather not. Forget I asked."

The boy let out a light laugh, as if expecting her answer. Hazuki watched him stretch a little, wince in pain before smiling brightly back at her. She wondered how someone could smile so happily despite going through what he had just did.

"My name is Totsuka Tatara, you?" the boy, Tatara said.

He held out a hand towards her, which Hazuki hesitantly took. Ever so gently, Tatara helped pull the girl back up to her feet. She was small and though Tatara wasn't particularly tall himself, Hazuki barely came up to his shoulder.

"E-Endo Hazuki," she replied shakily. It had tumbled out of her mouth before she had enough time to rethink her decision. Should she really be telling him her name?

"Well then, Hazuki-chan, I guess we should head to school now, huh?" Tatara replied, placing his hands at his hips as he spoke. Hazuki blinked back at him in puzzlement, not expecting him to mention school at all.

_She _had forgotten all about it!

"Y-Yeah I guess so but shouldn't you go to the hospital first? I mean, they beat you up pretty bad," Hazuki said, pointing at the bruises on his face.

"It's all right I've gotten worse before," Tatara said with a laugh, which only caused more worry and confusion for Hazuki. He was definitely one of those guys her mother often told her to _not _get involved with.

It was the first time that day that Hazuki had ever arrived to school late and it was the only time she really couldn't care less. Her mind was still on the boy with the bruises and the kind smile, as well as the person named 'Suoh.' What sort of person was this 'Suoh' guy? And all throughout the day, all Hazuki could think about was what sort of 'thing' this Suoh character did to cause that much trouble just by name alone?

The next day, Hazuki decided to take a different route just to be safe. She had no intention of bumping into any of the people she met the other day. She had already promised herself that the next time she saw a fight; she'd call the police instead of jumping in.

Despite this, Hazuki didn't regret saving that boy.

* * *

_A/N: _I write this for my own enjoyment and I only wish to share that joy :) As much as I like reviews, I won't beg for them. I'll post up sketches of Hazuki or any other OC character if they happen to pop up (and play a significant role), they can be located on my profile or deviantart account, which can also be found on my profile.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: _Here's chapter 2! :D

_Chapter II_

_Homra_

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since _that _day and not an incident after. Until today, that is and all Hazuki could think was, 'how in the world did he find me?' She could spot him a mile away, given the fact that he was the only boy in the area. Going to an all-girls' school made it a whole lot easier to spot the one boy waiting at the gate.

Girls whispered in the background, eyes falling on the boy with honey colored hair and bright smiles. He waved back with a friendly, welcoming air, which only seemed to cause the girls to giggle in return. Hazuki watched from a distance with an expression of both disbelief and dread.

"Why are you here?" Hazuki asked. She hoped she didn't come off as rude but she really, really needed to know. Being polite was the least of her worries right now.

_Rule #3: Always Be Polite and Thankful. _

"To see you of course!" Totsuka said cheerfully and he practically skipped on over to her.

Hazuki narrowed her eyes, she could practically see sunshine and pretty little flowers blooming behind him like they did in those shoujo mangas she read. It was terrible. Terrible because the more he shined the more attention he seemed to bring.

And she really could do without any more attention.

* * *

"Were you beat up again? Sorry to say but I'm fresh out of bravery at the moment," Hazuki replied, walking past him and out the front gate.

Unfortunately, Totsuka simply turned on his heel and followed after her. Little did Hazuki know that Totsuka was a persistent fellow who did not give up easily. After all, how could he be thevassal of _the_ Red King if he wasn't? Of course, Hazuki had no way of knowing that…yet.

"Nope, I just wanted to talk to you," Totsuka said with a shrug. "I think we could be friends, don't you?"

Hazuki stopped walking then and turned to look at him. She took in his appearance again, looked him up and down with deep consideration. He wore his uniform again today, meaning he had gone straight to her school as soon as his ended. No matter how she looked at him, he appeared to be a normal looking guy.

"Why do you want to be friends with me?" Hazuki asked. She had wanted to ask him a different question, mainly about _that _day but chose to keep it to herself. For now at least. Totsuka laughed out loud, causing Hazuki to frown.

"Why wouldn't I? You _did _save me," Totsuka replied.

Hazuki nodded a bit in understanding and continued walking forward. She was quickly reminded of her mother's first rule. _Don't Associate with Delinquents and/or Troublemakers. _

Except her mother was all the way in the countryside and here Hazuki was, in Shizume City. Far, far away from her mother's prying eyes. After all, she already broke two rules in one day, what's the harm in doing it again? As if just realizing what she was doing, Hazuki shook her head roughly before lifting her chin up.

"I…don't think it'd be a good idea," Hazuki said finally. "I don't think we'd have much in common anyway."

"On the contrary, I think we have a lot in common," Totsuka said casually as he fell into step with her. He was planning something, Hazuki could tell. But whether or not his plans had any malicious intent she didn't know. She couldn't help but feel it didn't though.

"How so?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm, like we both suck at running?" Totsuka said.

Hazuki couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing and was soon joined in by Totsuka. For a split second, Hazuki wondered maybe, just maybe, what it'd be like to be friends with someone like Totsuka. It would be adventurous for sure but also dangerous.

Her parents, especially her mother, would kill her if they ever found out.

* * *

"I don't think it'd be a very good idea," Hazuki said finally, turning away from Totsuka. She continued walking down her path home, eyes focused ahead of her. She couldn't deny the sense of disappointment she felt at her own answer.

"Funnily enough," said Totsuka, who stopped walking all of a sudden, "I think it'd be a great idea. In fact, I know it will be."

Hazuki stopped walking as well and turned around. She didn't _want _to be friends with him and yet she _did. _As if on cue, her mother's voice and her face popped into her mind. She sighed heavily and shook her head.

"I'll—think about it." She didn't know why she didn't just say 'no' but it was enough to make Totsuka happy. Without warning, his hand was already around hers and he was dragging her the opposite direction of her home.

"Great! In that case, let's go!" Totsuka said happily.

"What?! G-Go?! Go where? H-Hey! T-Totsuka-kun—"Hazuki was cut off by said boy who turned around to face her, a smile brighter than before now on his fair face.

"To meet King and the others, of course!"

"_Who?!" _

"My friends," Totsuka said simply.

"Uhhh a-are you sure _this _is a good idea? I mean, wait—I never said _yes _I only said I'd think about it!" Hazuki said, trying to keep up with Totsuka's pace.

Before she knew it, Hazuki was standing in front of a bar with the word '_Homra_' written in broad, cursive letters on top. Wait, she'd heard that name before, hadn't she? She just couldn't remember_ where_ she had heard it. She turned to look at Totsuka who was, unfortunately, smiling back at her expectedly. With a groan, Hazuki pushed open the front door and walked in.

They were greeted by a loud greeting of 'welcome!' and 'Totsuka!', which only made Hazuki shrink back even more. Because she soon realized that almost everyone in the bar was _male. _Sure there weren't a lot of them but just by their looks alone it was enough to scare her.

* * *

She had hoped they would look a little like Totsuka, harmless looking and kind. Instead, they looked as shady as she had imagined. Her presence also did not go unnoticed as several of the voices seemed to quiet down upon seeing her.

"Uh—who's the girl?" said a bespeckled boy who, upon further inspection was probably only a year or two older than Hazuki.

"The one I told you about," said Totsuka who gently led Hazuki to the bar.

"What? Her?!" said another, who stood up to stand next to the boy with glasses. Hazuki felt her stomach drop each time someone turned to look at her and she wished more than anything she had said 'no.'

"Hey Totsuka, ya mind not bringin' innocent schoolgirls to my bar?" said the bartender.

"Well I figured it'd only be right to treat the person who saved me, right?" Totsuka said and ushered for Hazuki to sit at one of the stools.

Hazuki looked at the chairs and then to the one person sitting at the bar. She hadn't noticed him till now but now that she had, she couldn't help but feel intimidated almost immediately. Fiery red hair and eyes the color of melted gold, Hazuki did think he was attractive but it was undermined by the sheer fact that his entire aura just screamed 'dangerous.' She hesitantly bit her bottom lip and willed herself to not back away.

In these situations, was it better to play dead or stand your ground? What did the animal program say again?

"Oh, don't mind him," Totsuka said, tapping her left shoulder lightly. "He looks mean but he's actually quite tame—usually."

"Shut up," said the other man.

"Uh-_huh_," Hazuki said, not at all convinced.

She made sure to keep at least a chair away from him and turned to look at the bartender. In comparison to the man with red hair, Hazuki sort of liked him better. Not that he looked any less shady just that he didn't seem to be _as _dangerous. Which really wasn't saying much. She was reminded of one other rule made by her mother before coming to the city and it rang loud and clear in the back of her mind.

_Rule#4: Don't Ever Enter Shady Looking Establishes and/or Businesses _

"So what's your name?" asked the bartender whose name Hazuki learned to be Izumo Kusanagi, as his hands busied themselves by wiping clean an expensive looking wine glass.

"Endo…Hazuki," she replied, her voice coming out far more docile and quiet then she had intended. However, he heard her loud enough and smiled back in return. Just like Totsuka, his smile was gentle and kind, which only seemed to puzzle Hazuki even more.

Was it just a ruse? Maybe she was just a terrible character assessor?

"Right, well Hazuki-chan, can I call you that?"

Hazuki nodded.

"Anyway, Totsuka here told us you went and saved him a couple of weeks ago, that right?" Kusanagi asked.

* * *

Almost immediately, Hazuki was well aware of all the eyes in the room falling on her and she stiffened considerably. Kusanagi seemed to notice this and he sent a little glare over her head. She hadn't noticed it; however, as she was too busy staring at the counter of the bar.

"W-Well I wouldn't go so far as to say I saved him," Hazuki said, looking up at the older man. "I just sort of...threw a trashcan and ran away."

She hadn't expected Kusanagi to let out a laugh and flinched slightly when he had. When he finally calmed down he reached out a hand and placed a clean glass in front of her. She watched in awe as he made a fruit drink in a matter of seconds, complete with slices of fruit and a straw.

"It's on the house," Kusanagi said with a wink.

"Eh? A-Are you sure?" Hazuki said, looking up in surprise.

"It's fine, it's fine," Kusanagi said a wave of a hand. "Anyway, I guess we 'ought to apologize for even getting you involved in the first place. Sorry about that."

"O-Oh it's all right," Hazuki said, taking hold of the straw between her fingers.

"I knew we should've gotten rid of those jerks! I can't believe they went and attacked Totsuka!" said the boy from earlier, whose name according to Totsuka was Chitose.

"What do you think of Hazuki-chan, King?" Totsuka said suddenly, now addressing the other man sitting at the bar.

Hazuki turned to look at him and noticed that he was now looking at her. She felt herself tense up once more and couldn't bring herself to break his gaze, despite the fact that her face was no doubt slowly turning red. She never did do well under the spotlight. After what seemed like hours of silent staring, Mikoto Suoh leaned back and said one word, and one word only.

"Tiny."

"They aren't tiny!" Almost immediately, Hazuki's hands flew to her chest and blushed, only for her to realize he was probably talking about her height. "Err—well…maybe. A little."

Totsuka and the others, excluding Mikoto, burst out into laughter as Hazuki slowly sunk into her chair. She really hated the spotlight. After finishing her drink and getting to know the names of the people in the bar, Hazuki finally decided to head home. It was already getting dark and Kusanagi informed her that it would be better to go before it did.

"It gets dangerous at night," Kusanagi said as he wiped the bar down with a rag. "I'll have one of the guys walk you home, in case you run into trouble."

"I can walk you home," Totsuka offered. "If you get ambushed by those guys again it'll be real troublesome."

"Yeah but if _that _happens I'll probably just ended up saving you again," Hazuki said as she stuck out her tongue. "And between you and me, I don't think I'm cut out to be a hero."

"I think being a heroine suits you perfectly."

Hazuki merely laughed at his comment and waved goodbye. She refused the idea of being walked home and turned away to leave. She stopped, however, when she heard Totsuka calling from behind her.

"Hazuki-chan, when you decide you really do want to be friends, come by again!" he said from a distance.

Hazuki turned around to look at him, then to Kusanagi and finally to the redheaded man. Their eyes locked with one another, his golden eyes bearing into her emerald green ones. Breaking their eye contact, she bowed slightly as if to say goodbye and he in return nodded his head.

As she walked home, Hazuki couldn't help but feel that she was being watched. At first she thought it might simply be Totsuka trying to scare her. However, the longer she walked the more convinced she became that it _wasn't _Totsuka. Suddenly, she felt the collar of her uniform being yanked back and Hazuki collided with another body from behind.

"Yo~ remember us little miss?" said a voice and Hazuki looked up to see an older boy smirking down at her.

"Uh—n-no?" she squeaked.

"That's too bad 'cause we remember you," said another boy as he snaked up from behind the one holding her.

"Hard to forget someone who threw a friggin' trashcan at us, though," said the one holding her.

"Crap," she muttered. How did she know that she'd run into _these _guys? All three of the guys from that day were here now and Hazuki gulped nervously at their expressions.

"Why don't you come with us for a while?" said the third.

"Erm…no thanks."

"Unfortunately you don't much have a choice."

* * *

"So what did you guys think of her?" Totsuka asked as he leaned into his chair. Kusanagi set down the rag he held in his hands and turned to look at his younger friend with a quirked eyebrow.

"Of Hazuki-chan? She seems like a good kid but listen Totsuka, that's exactly why I have an issue with you bringing her here. I don't know what it is you're thinking but I'm telling you to stop right now. It's too dangerous for a girl like that to be here," Kusanagi said, pointing an accusing finger at his friend.

"You worry too much Kusanagi-san, Hazuki-chan is braver than either you or she, herself thinks," Totsuka replied.

"It's not a matter of bravery it's the fact that she can get hurt," Kusanagi said.

"Then we'll just have to protect her, right?"

"I doubt she'd want to be protected by the likes of us."

Silently, Mikoto stood up, hands in his pockets and a frown on his face. Both Totsuka and Kusanagi turned to look at him, surprised at his sudden movement.

"What's up?" Kusanagi asked.

Mikoto let out a heavy sigh and trudged towards the door. "That kid…is going to be targeted."

He hadn't even bothered to look behind him nor did he wait for his comrades to follow. The remaining members of Homra turned to look at one another and without hesitation, followed after him.


End file.
